A 55-year-old physical education teacher and former professional basketball player died of a heart attack after battling the flu for weeks.

A 55-year-old physical education teacher and former professional basketball player died of a heart attack after battling the flu for weeks.

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Updated: 10:19 PM CST Feb 21, 2014

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WEBVTT A PRO BASKETBALL PLAYER..TURNED P-E TEACHER. TOUCHING THE LIVES OF áHUNDREDS..OF METRO KIDS. BUT TONIGHT..HIS FAMILY SAYS -- COMPLICATIONS FROM THE áFLU..MAY HAVE TAKEN HIS LIFE. GOOD EVENING I'M MELISSA FRY AND I'M JEREMY MASKEL AUTHORITIES FOUND 55-YEAR- OLD JEFF NANNEN AT HIS PAPILLION HOME WEDNESDAY. HIS BROTHER TELLS US, HE HAD A HEART ATTACK THE NIGHT BEFORE..AFTER BATTLING THE FLU, FOR áWEEKS. THIS TIME HE SAYS ..IT WAS A FIGHT JEFF COULDN'T WIN. K-E-T-V NEWSWATCH SEVEN'S KRISTYNA ENGDAHL JOINS US LIVE ..WITH OUR BIG STORY AT TEN. THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TELLS ME -- THIS FLU SEASON..WE'VE HAD á12 FLU-RELATED DEATHS IN NEBRASKA. THE AVERAGE AGE..59. JEFF NANNEN WAS ONLY 55..AND FAMILY TELLS ME, THE PICTURE OF PERFECT HEALTH. AT SIX-FOOT-SEVEN -- JEFF NANNEN WASN'T JUST DAVID'S OLDER BROTHER. HE WAS HIS áBIGGER BROTHER.(David Nannen: He taught me a lot, taught me a lot about a lot of things.) DAVID SAYS..HIS BROTHER TAUGHT HIM ABOUT SPORTS. AFTER PLAYING BASKETBALL AT SOUTH DAKOTA STATE..JEFF PLAYED PROFESSIONALLY IN EUROPE. BACK IN THE STATES..JEFF TAUGHT HEALTH, AND P-E.. TO áHUNDREDS OF KIDS DURING HIS TWENTY-YEAR TEACHING CAREER.(David Nannen: His big thing was to give the kids tootsie rolls but they had to say please and thank you.) MEMORIES LIKE THAT..CAREFULLY WRITTEN..OR áILLUSTRATED..IN SOME OF THESE 350-CARDS.. FROM STUDENTS..PAST AND PRESENT.(David Nannen: He made me laugh and his laugh echoed through the gym.) AND READING THROUGH THEM, DAVID SAYS -- IT'S APPARENT THAT HIS BIG BROTHER..HAD A BIG INFLUENCE.(David Nannen: It's going to be overwhelming going through them all, but also wonderful as well.) TEACHING KIDS THE IMPORTANCE OF EXERCISE ..AND STAYING HEALTHY.(David Nannen: Every year he'd get a pretty good cold because you know, you're around that many kids. You're going to pick up some germs.) BUT áTHIS YEAR..DAVID SAYS A DOCTOR DIAGNOSED JEFF WITH INFLUENZA-B. AND HE SAYS JEFF ..WAS FINALLY, STARTING TO FEEL BETTER.(David Nannen: He was a fighter, he was always going to bounce back.. Couldn't win this one.) BUT STILL..THERE ARE PICTURES.. AND THIS TABLE FULL OF CARDS -- PROOF OF THE LIVES TOUCHED..BY THIS P-E TEACHER.(David Nannen: Mr. Nannen touched my heart. I loved the way he said don't forget to smile when we were doing push ups. I will never forget him.) JEFF NANNEN TAUGHT KINTERGARDEN THROUGH SIXTH GRADE AT LOVELAND ELEMENTARY. HIS MOM TELLS ME ..HE DIDN'T GET A FLU SHOT..BUT SAID HE'D GET ONE NEXT YEAR. HIS FUNERAL IS TOMORROW AT ELEVEN A-M ..AT FIRST UNITED METHODIST IN BLAIR. HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY THIS YEAR MORE YOUNG PEOPLE ARE GETTING HIT BY THE FLU.. THEY RECOMMEND THAT YOU STILL GET TH VACCINE IF YOU CAN AND OF COURSE KEEP WASHING YOUR HANDS.

Local teacher dies of heart attack after battling flu

A 55-year-old physical education teacher and former professional basketball player died of a heart attack after battling the flu for weeks.